Search results now include part matches on channel names to make it more relevant to your query. So for example a search for ‘radio’ now shows results with matches in the topic as before but also where a part of the channel name matches the search.
e.g. http://search.mibbit.com/search/radio
More information on search in the previous blog entries, Introducing Search, and Server Tabs.
Search is now available inside server tabs!
Any keywords you enter get matched against the name and topic of channels on the IRC network that the server is a part of, so a search for ‘Javascript’ would return anything with ‘Javascript’ in the topic or channel name at the time of last indexing (usually each hour).
Multiple keywords are allowed too so a search for ‘Java Javascript’ will return results for items matching either word.
Searching this way is helpful if you know you’re looking for channels on the network(s) you’re connected to, just switch between server tabs to change network (in green), if you want to broaden your search you can use http://search.mibbit.com to find channels across all the networks at once. Simples 
After the search announcement earlier this week we thought it would be helpful to point out how Channel Listings work in the server tabs. Using tabs to show channels is a quick alternative to http://search.mibbit.com because it shows you the listings right there rather than popping out a new browser window.
Click on a server tab (i.e. Mibbit >>) to see a channel list displayed on the right hand side:
Resizing is done by dragging the vertical bar to make a bigger window, whatever width you set is remembered for your session, make it bigger and you’ll see more channels together:
When you see a channel of interest click ‘join’, a new tab connected to that channel will be opened up for you.
The channel list is done using the extra content pane which is very useful for many other things such as viewing documents, videos and so on. See previous post for cool Mibbit commands or view a longer set here.
Enjoy
We’re very happy to introduce an enhancement designed to make it easier to find the right places to chat. Search.mibbit.com is available immediately helping people to find IRC networks and channels to match their interests.
The Main client and Widget are enormously popular in that they run completely in the cloud and connect to thousands of IRC networks with potentially millions of channels across them, but up until now the ability to navigate, search and discover this broad range of chat channels has been limited to the /list command and a casual scroll through an abreviated IRC list on the home tab.
Now that situation has changed. With the introduction of search.mibbit.com, users can;
To use it just head to http://search.mibbit.com or click on a Server tab to see channels in the extra-pane. This can be a life saver for those who need to find a channel but can’t remember its name or for newcomers who want to discover what’s out there. The Server tab is easy to use with the channels displayed on the right hand side (see pic). The list can be sorted and includes the last-updated info too so you know you won’t be getting out-of-date channels. Once you’ve located a channel click “Connect” to be connected.
As always, we’d be glad to hear your comments on our new feature – suggestions for improvements, bugs (please include your browser info) or anything else you have to say about the Mibbit network. We’re all ears!
We started out on the Chrome Web Store in December at the launch, now, less than two months later we’re hitting the 5000 installs. Many thanks for your support!
Find us in the Store here under Social & Communication. And check out this great Mibbit extension by Joshua Lückers which sets your browser so that irc:// links connect directly through Mibbit.